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United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,792,235 Kohr 45) Date of Patent: *Aug USOO5792235A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,792,235 Kohr 45) Date of Patent: *Aug. 11, 1998 54 METHOD FOR RECOVERNG GOLD AND 5,443,621 8/1995 Kohr ........................................ 75/711 OTHER PRECOUS METALS FROM FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS CARBONACEOUS ORES 1062918 9/1979 Canada. 75) Inventor: William J. Kohr, San Mateo, Calif. 0229224 9/1986 European Pat. Off. 1105237 1/1983 Japan. 73) Assignee: Geobiotics, Inc., Hayward, Calif. 2136015 9/1984 United Kingdom. OTHER PUBLICATIONS * Notice: The term of this patent shall not extend beyond the expiration date of Pat. No. V. V. Lodeischikov, "Recovery of Gold from Refractory 5,443,621. Ores and Concentrates", pp. 177-185 (Chapter XI). Pub lished: NEDRA. Moscow, 1968 (along with the partial 21 Appl. No.: 415,745 English translation) month unavailable. Schulze, R.G., Thiourea Leaching Of Precious Metals, 96 22) Fed: Apr. 3, 1995 Erzmetall, 39 (1986) Feb., No. 2, Weinheim, Deutschland. Scheiner, B.J., et al., Processing Refractory Carbonaceous Related U.S. Application Data Ores for Gold Recovery. Journal of Metals. pp. 37-40. Mar. 1971, 63) Continuation of Ser. No. 24,331, Mar. 14, 1994, aban doned, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 950,576, Sep. 22, Guay, W.J. The Treatment of Refractory Gold Ores Con 1992, Pat. No. 5,338,338. taining Carbonaceous Material and Sulfides, Society of Mining Engineers of AIME, Reprint No. 81-45, pp. 1-4 51) Int. Cl. ............ C22B 3/06; C22B 3/16 Feb. 22-26, 1981. (52) U.S. Cl. ............................... 75/711; 423/22; 423/26; Hutchins, S.R., et al. Microbial Pretreatment of Refractory 423/27; 423/DIG. 17 Sulfide and Carbonaceous Ores Improves the Economics of (58) Field of Search ........................ 75/711, 732; 423/22. Gold Recovery . Mining Engineering, pp. 249-254 (Apr. 423/26, 27. DG. 17 1988). Scheiner, B.J. et al., Oxidation Process for improving Gold (56) References Cited Recovery from Carbon-Bearing Gold Ores, U.S. Dept. of U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS the Interior, Report of Investigations 7573, 1971. Han, K., et al. Separation of Cabonaceous Material from 2,838,369 6/1958 Gaudin, et al. .......................... 23/14.5 Carlin Ore by Flotation, Advances in Gold and Silver 2,890,795 6/1959 Dering ........... ... 209/12 Processing. Conference Proceedings, Reno, Nevada, Chap 3,450,523 6/1969 Socolescu ..................................... 75/7 3,574,600 4/1971 Scheiner, et al. .. ..., 75/105 ter 13, pp. 121-130 Sep. 10-12, 1990. 3,635,697 1/1972 Scheiner, et al. ... 75/101 Afenya, P.M., Treatment of Carbonaceous Refractory Gold 3,639,925 2/1972 Scheiner, et al. ... 75/101 Ores, Mineral Engineering, vol. 4, pp. 1043-1055 (1991). 3,703,366 11/1972 Cullom .............. ... 75/74 Radtke, A. Studies of Hydrothermal Gold Deposition (I). 3,764,650 10/1973 Scheiner, et al... ... 423/38 Carlin Gold Deposit, Nevada: The Role of Carbonaceous 3,979,205 9/1976 Wanzenberg................................ 75/10 Materials in Gold Deposition. Economic Geology and the 4,188,208 2/1980 Guay .................. ... 75/105 Bulletin of the Society of Economic Geologists, pp. 87-102, 4,289,532 9/1981. Matson, et al. .... ..., 75/105 vol. 65, Mar.-Apr. 1970, No. 2. 4,347,126 8/1982 McGarry, et al. ... 209/164 Scheiner, B.J. Relation of Mineralogy to Treatment Methods 4,369,061 1/1983 Kerley ........... ... 75/732 for Carbonaceous Gold Ores, Society of Mining Engineers, 4,552,589 11/1985 Mason, et al. ... 75/105 4,554,137 11/1985 Maurice ............. ... 423/26 pp. 1-6, Preprint No. 87-96 Feb. 24-27, 1987. 4,556,500 12/1985 Bresson, et al. ... ... 252/61 Johns, M.W., et al., Recovery of Gold From Ashed Wood 4,578,163 3/1986 Kunter, et al. .......................... 204/110 chips, J.S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall., vol. 90, No. 1. pp. 1-10 4,585,550 4/1986 Avotins, et al. ... 209/166 (Jan. 1990). 4,610,724 9/1986 Weir, et al. ............................... 7.5/118 4,702,824 10/1987 Abadi ..... ... 209/167 (List continued on next page.) 4,710,361 12/1987 Ostrea ... ... 423/26 Primary Examiner-Melvyn Andrews 4,786,323 11/1988 Gock, et al. ... 75/118 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lyon & Lyon LLP 4,814,007 3/1989 Lin, et al. ... ... 75/118 4,895,597 1/1990 Lin, et al. ... 75/118 57 ABSTRACT 4,900,431 2/1990 Cariou, et al. .. 209/166 4,902,345 2/1990 Ball, et al. ......... 75/18 Amethod for recovering precious metals from carbonaceous 4,923,510 5/1990 Ramadorai, et al. ... 423/29 ore comprising leaching the ore with a lixiviant solution and 4,950,390 8/1990 Szentiaszloi, et al. 209/64 then preg-robbingly concentrating the precious metal 5,013,359 5/1991 Fair, et al. .. ... 75/744 lixiviant complexes in solution on to the native carbon 5,021,088 6/1991 Portier ..... ... 75/736 aceous component of the ore for subsequent recovery. The 5,051,199 9/1991 Barwise ..... ... 252/61 5,073,354 12/1991 Fuller, et al. ... 423/24 preg-robbing capacity of the native carbonaceous compo 5,074,909 12/1991. Agar............ ... 75/422 nent of the ore can be augmented by adding recycled 5,147,618 9/1992 Touro ......... ... 423/27 carbonaceous matter or finely ground carbon to the ore 5,320,720 6/1994 Hayden, et al. 204/110 lixiviant mixture. 5,338,338 8/1994 Kohr ........... ... 75/711 5,364,453 11/1994 Kohr ... 75/711 18 Claims, No Drawings 5,792,235 Page 2 OTHER PUBLICATIONS Williams, M.C.. et al., A Simple Flotation Method for Rapidly Assessing the Hydrophobicity of Coal Particles, Han, K.N., et al. Using Flotation to Separate Carbon International Journal of Mineral Processing. 20 (1987) pp. Material from Carlin Ore, Mining Engineering, vol. 42, No. 153-157. 12, pp. 1328 (Dec. 1990). Ibrado, A.S., et al., Effect of the Structure of Carbon Adsor Lichy, L., et al., Treatment Refractory Ores: A Simplified bents on the Adsorption of Gold Cyanide, Hydrometallurgy, Process, Mining Engineering, vol. 42, No. 12, p. 1328 (Dec. 30 (1992) 243-256, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., 1990). Amsterdam. Crabtree. E.H., Jr., et al. Developments in the Application of Fuerstenau, D.W., Characterization of Coal Particle Sur Activated Carbon to Cyanidation (Including the Desorption faces by Film Flotation. Proccedings of Surface Chemistry of Gold and Silver from Carbons). Mining Eng., Transac of Coal, Los Angeles, Ca, Sep. 25-30, 1988, pp. 748-755. tions AIME. vol. 1987, pp. 217-222 (Feb. 1950). Orlich, J.N. Column Flotation of Carbon at the Royal Mt. Rosenbaum, J.M., et al., Benefication of Fine Western Coal King Mine, SME Annual Meeting-Phoenix, Arizona, Feb. by Froth Flotation. The American Institute of Chemical 24-27, 1992. Engineers pp. 19-28 (1982). Fuersteanau. et al. Coal Surface Control for Advanced Fine Scheiner. B.J., Carbonaceous Gold Ores. Inf. Circ., U.S. Coal Flotation. Project No. DE-AC22-88PC88878, Quar Bureau of Mines, pp. 26-33 (1986). terly Report No. 11, Apr. 1 through Jun. 30, 1991. 5,792.235 1. 2 METHOD FOR RECOVERNG GOLD AND with these ores, however, is indirect interference. This OTHER PRECOUS METALS FROM occurs when the gold-lixiviant complex formed during lix CARBONACEOUS ORES iviation is sorbed by the native carbonaceous material and, therefore, is no longer available for recovery from solution. This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/214.331 5 This phenomenon is called preg-robbing. filed on Mar. 14, 1994 now abandoned, which is a continu Preg-robbing is frequently associated with the use of ation of application Ser. No. 07/950,576 filed Sep. 22, 1992. cyanide as the lixiviant. However, it also occurs with gold now U.S. Pat. No. 5,338.338. lixiviant complexes other than aurocyanide. Certain clay materials such as illite, kaolin, and montmo BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 10 rillonite are also known to preg-robbingly adsorb the gold cyanide complex. Thus, the degree of preg-robbing exhib 1. Field of the Invention ited by an ore depends on the amount of carbonaceous The present invention relates to the recovery of precious matter and preg-robbing clay materials in the ore. As used metals from carbonaceous ores. More particularly, the herein, it should be understood that carbonaceous compo invention concerns an improved leach of these ores wherein 15 nent and carbonaceous matter also refer to preg-robbing the native preg-robbing component is used to concentrate clays, because the preg-robbing properties of these materials gold or other precious metals for subsequent recovery. are functionally similar to that of the actual carbonaceous 2. Description of the Prior Art matter in the ore. Gold is one of the rarest metals on earth. Gold ores can be While preg-robbing is most frequently associated with categorized into two types: free milling and refractory. Free 20 cyanidation processes, the preg-robbing phenomenon is also milling ores are those that can be processed by simple known to occur with other gold-lixiviant complexes such as gravity techniques or direct cyanidation. Refractory ores, on gold-chloride. The inventor has even experienced preg the other hand, are difficult to process. Refractory ore robbing of gold-thiourea complexes while using a thiourea resources can consist of ores, flotation concentrates, mill lixiviant. tailings, and other reserves. In the past, refractory ores have 25 Carbonaceous ores vary significantly from deposit to required pre-cyanidation treatments to liberate the gold. The deposit, and even within deposits, in the amount of carbon difficulty of processing refractory gold ores is attributable to aceous matter they contain.
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